Strings of the Heart
by AspiringWriterGirl
Summary: Story 2 - after "Friends of Mew" and Ash is leaving the Montazul Island and the past experience behind. He's on his way to the Zolya region, but he's not travelling with Lorelei like he thought he was, what happened there? What he does know, is that he can be sure to meet some new faces and some old ones too. As for Lorelei, she's had her heartstrings played one too many times


Disclaimer: Exceptions include some who characters who were submitted for my other Pokémon story called Eye of the storm and thought I should use some more if I could.

A/N 1: This is the second installation to the story I wrote before called "Friends of Mew" this partially follows on from the perspective of River and Rusty – two new OCs that were submitted for Eye of the Storm ( s/10875767/1/Eye-of-the-Storm), but do look out for Lorelei along the way of this story! It is, after all, a continuation from Friends of Mew!

A/N 2: PLEASE read Friends of Mew before this story, otherwise the character called Lorelei might not make much sense to you :L Just a warning to take seriously s/10800440/1/Friends-of-Mew

A/N 3: I've got a little forum I'd love you to all check out – feel free to make a topic or post because everyone's welcome! forum/Pok%C4%97mon-Trainers-Unite/160978/

**Feel free to check out the forum!**

A/N 4: This story will centre around two OCs that have been created called Rusty and River who are going to be accompanied by a familiar face and another OC in a new region with all the existing Pokémon – no struggles of OC Pokémon!

**Chapter 01**

_A few months have passed since the Montazul island incident and that Lorelei decided where her next adventure would take her, but in those few months, she enjoyed watching Holly and Brock's relationship blossom. Apparently- according to Ash, the first time Brock departed from the group, it was to spend more time with a woman called Professor Ivy. Knowing her name was Professor Ivy made Lorelei smile because of the song, the Holly and the Ivy. Lorelei had spent so many hours trying to prepare for her journey to Zolya- hours that were spent putting together a new outfit, and saying goodbye to her other Pokémon. Raichu and Leafeon were the only two she was going to take, just like Ash only wanted to take Pikachu. She liked the idea the moment Ash told her he had done it before. _

_Our story continues after the incident with Mew, at the Watermoor town port on the Montazul Island. As usual, Ash was running late this morning and with only a few minutes until his boat to his next destination departed, he knew he had to get a move on._

"Pikachu- oh man, I can't believe we're really leaving Brock here and that we're going on another adventure!" Ash puffed and panted, trying to catch his breath from all the running.

The pair reached the boardwalk that ran up to a grand cruise liner. There were no trainers waiting to get on board, but the sailors were just about to cast off. Thick coils of rope flew through the air towards the crew members on the boat. A flock of Wingull flew over Ash and Pikachu as he called out for them to wait.

"Wait up! I need to get on!" he yelled, powering his legs to keep going despite feeling a splitting pain in his side.

"Pika-Pika!" the electric mouse snapped aggressively.

"Wait, that guy wants to get on!" A girl was leaning over the side and pointing over at Ash and Pikachu. She waved frantically for Ash to hurry up whilst the sailors stood there, impatiently tapping their feet.

"Thanks," Ash said, passing them and running up to the deck.

After both his feet were on the deck, he collapsed beside Pikachu. The rise and fall of his chest began to slow as he recuperated and caught his breath.

"Well you took you time there, didn't you?" the girl asked with folded arms. She lifted the flap of her bag and held out a bottle of water for him. "It's alright, I've got a spare."

Ash thanked her, before draining nearly half of the bottle's content and offering it back to her.

"Oh no- I'm okay thanks," she replied, feeling a little awkward at the fact he was offering a practically empty bottle. "I'm Erica by the way- I have to ask, but is that a Pikachu?"

"Yeah, that's my buddy, Pikachu."

Erica crouched beside Pikachu and picked him up in her arms. Suddenly, she gasped and dropped him. With one hand clasped over her mouth, she rushed off, disappearing around the side of the boat.

"Well, clearly she seems to have a lot on her mind…" Ash murmured to Pikachu.

His Pokémon sniffed at something on the deck. "Pika?"

Ash reached out and picked up a small sketch pad that had a vibrant pattern on the front that looked like a mix of a bubblebeam and fire spin attack. At the same time, it looked just like a sort of elaborate drawing, but it had a splash of colour to it as well.

"Maybe that girl dropped it, she'll probably want to back, right Pikachu?" Ash smiled when his partner echoed an agreement. "Come on." He walked away down the side of the boat to the bow. On his way, he passed a series of trainers looking after their Pokémon or just indulging in sheer relaxation.

"Torchic, use Ember!"

Ash looked up and saw a small Torchic spinning around on one foot, firing bursts of flames into the air. The execution looked great, but what the move lacked was flare because the fire fizzled out within moments.

"Torchic- you're doing so well. Perhaps we should rest for now and practice later?" Erica was kneeling beside the little bird which suddenly jumped up into her arms. She squeezed the Pokémon tightly like a child to a safety blanket.

"Is this yours?" Ash asked, holding out the notebook to the girl.

Her eyes lit up when she saw him. "Yeah, I knew I dropped it somewhere, thank you- um…?"

"Ash, Ash Ketchum."

The pair got on well, and spoke about where they were heading. Erica was also heading to the Zolya region to compete in the region in the hope that she could make it through to the Grand Festival.

Standing somewhere in the Zolya region, another new Pokémon trainer called Rusty. She looked out at the landscape and felt that this adventure was going to be one of the best decisions of her life. It was just a shame that the same couldn't be said for her neighbour and close friend, River.

"Come on River – stop listening to your music, we have to go to Professor Chestnut's lab. My dad's friend, Professor Oak, said that some guy from the Kanto region apparently needs a guide around Zolya, and I need someone who knows about Pokémon. Well, I don't need him, but I'd like someone to help me and my Pokémon team battle someone progressively." Rusty grinned with excitement, looking down at River who had shut himself off from the world by the large green and grey headphones he wore over his ears. His eyes may have been closed, but that wasn't putting Rusty off. "River!" she snapped.

Opening his eyes, River lowered his headphones to his neck and looked up at his friend. "Did you say something, Rust?" he asked. "Because I thought you were the master of procrastination…"

"Give it up River – we're going to be late!" moaned Rusty, folding her arms and stamping her feet like a little child, despite being an older teenager of seventeen.

"Okay, okay… Let me stand up first. You're so unbelievably uptight… You need to just relax… It's hard to believe we're the same age." He got up to his feet and stretched his arms out to the sides. "Just another day in Zol-lee-ya."

"Stop enunciating every syllable, just say it in one – Zolya." Rusty grabbed her companion's rucksack off the ground and ran across the field amongst the grazing Mareep. "Look at the Mareep, aren't they adorable?" she asked, looking back over her shoulder at River who was only just starting to follow her. "I hope I get a cute Pokémon to start with – an unusual one would be amazing."

"Rusty – Zolya is a region that is home to Pokémon from all other regions, yet has no new Pokémon. It is highly unlikely you'll get an unusual or unique Pokémon. I just want a Pokémon that I can build a relationship with."

"Way to rain on my parade, River." Rusty rolled her eyes, it irritated her how blunt he could be, but they were going on an adventure together, and she could do with the company.

The sun emerged from behind grey clouds and bore down on the two children as the girl led the way across the field. At the far end of the field, she could see the wooden gate that led into the back of the Pokémon lab.

Professor Chestnut was a man who enjoyed being out in the open fields and observing Pokémon in their natural habitat, because then, they would be acting naturally, without any human interference. And in GoldenLeaf Town, it was unusual to find a bit of natural Pokémon habitat. There was really only a few fields that had been overrun by Mareep – the town was that built up. Chestnut believed in accuracy, precision and repetition for the best results and spent most of his time hiding up in the trees, so when Rusty found him sitting out on the porch of the lab, she knew that something was wrong.

"Professor Chestnut?" Rusty asked, holding the gate open for River who was still wandering aimlessly towards the lab. "Is something wrong, Professor?"

"It's nothing, Rusty, nothing I can't handle."

"Well, I don't believe you… But, what I really want to know is, is-"

"You want to know if I have yours and River's Pokémon ready?" Professor Chestnut raised an eyebrow, having been close with Rusty's father, he had watched her grow up and could tell when she had a hidden agenda. "Come on Rusty, I know you too well by now."

"Okay – I want to meet my new Pokémon!" Rusty grabbed the young professor's arm, squeezing it harshly. "I've been waiting so long for this moment and I can't believe it's finally here. What Pokémon have I got? A Squirtle, a Chikorita, a Mudkip, a Turtwig, an Oshawott, or a Fennekin? Which one!?" It had been this trainer's dream to have a Pokémon of her own, and this was finally her chance.

"You're so like your father." Professor Chestnut looked up at the wispy clouds that were gliding across the sky. "He loved Pokémon so much, when you were born, he gave me a Pokéball that contained a Pokémon he wanted you to have when you started your adventure. Now seems like a better time than ever."

Tears began to fill Rusty's eyes at the thought of her father gifting a Pokémon for her, but it wasn't out of character. When she was younger, she could always remember her father doing whatever it took to make his pregnant wife and daughters happy, but that was before he died in a plane crash. Rusty's mum would always go down to the sandy shores of the beach near GoldenLeaf Town and look out to the sea for hours at a time in the hope that her husband would return, but he never did.

Professor Chestnut stood up and stretched his back out until he heard a click. "Ah, that felt good!" he exclaimed. "Come on, I think I've still got that Pokéball somewhere, hidden out back collecting dust."

"What?" Rusty squealed, terrified that her first ever Pokémon would be covered in dust, it wasn't okay at all because Rusty hated any dirt or dust. She may like the outdoors, but she didn't want her first Pokémon to be covered in specks of dust. "You are joking, right?"

"Of course, I kept it in a safe place." The professor rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Somewhere. Now, I know your sister was given a Litleo, your father wanted to give you something different – something special." He went inside and allowed the two to come in after him.

Inside the lab, River was amazed by the technology that the lab assistants were working on. He looked up to see a huge electronic screen that had been divided into multiple segments, each on with an image of a region and the relevant professor working in that region including Rusty's father's friend, Professor Oak who was in the Kanto region.

Over in the far corner of the lab, he saw a boy wearing a baseball cap talking on the phone to a woman about extras 'you-know-whats' that she had slipped into his bag before he left to meet these new friends of his. There was a girl standing beside him was not wearing an outfit that was not deemed appropriate for an adventure in River's eyes. She was wearing this off the shoulder sea green top and dark grey shorts with shoes that looked like slippers- slip on shoes that you couldn't walk to the end of the road in – they just weren't designed for long distance walking. In the girl's arms was a chirpy looking Pikachu that's ears began to twitch as if it had detected something unusual.

"River – look! I've got a Turtwig!" Rusty squealed, beaming with excitement as she held a smaller than average Turtwig in her arms. "I've always wanted a Pokemon and this one is the last one my dad hatched before he disappeared." Rusty looked down at her new Pokémon partner. "I always used to think that Dad had forgotten about me. He gave Quinn a Litleo and Blaze never stopped riding the Zebstrika he gave her… Never did I think he'd give me a Turtwig!"

River could barely get a word in, but he smiled. Though the two had never met, River knew that Rusty's father was a good man. Everyone spoke highly of him, and no one had a bad word about him either.

"And Professor Chestnut's even got you a Pokémon!" The girl grabbed his arm and pulled him into the next room. "Look!"

He was now staring at a meditating Pokémon he had seen on the television in his house. "A Treecko." River smiled, inside he was punching the air with his fists, he was that pleased. "Awesome," he added calmly.

"Treec-ko!" Treecko seemed to smile as he greeted his trainer, throwing a punch at River's knee and making him drop to the floor.

"What the-?" River growled, standing up straight though his leg was in agony.

"Ah – that is interesting…" Professor Chestnut rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. "It seems that this Treecko, is a little aggressive, but you should be able to take care of this one River. You really mustn't worry, I'm sure you're more than capable of taking good care of it."

Treecko suddenly burst out of the main door, as if it wanted to prove itself to be the very best fighter.

"What the?" They heard someone call out.

Rusty and River ran out of the room in pursuit of the aggressive Treecko that could be raging a riot at any moment.

"Pikachu, use a Thunderbolt!" the boy River had seen earlier called out.

His Pikachu leapt off his shoulder and charged up its cheeks, lashing out at Treecko, who fell to the floor and shook a little, but it leapt up despite a few grazes.

"Tur-twig," the Turtwig in Rusty's arms howled, bounding out and preparing itself to fight Treecko.

"Treecko, return!" Everyone turned to see Professor Chestnut holding a Pokéball that the grass type had been absorbed into. With a flick of his hand, he sent the ball flying towards the Pokémon's owner. "Take care of that one, River."

"Erm, professor?" the girl River had noticed earlier asked. "What about me?"

"I beg your pardon – am I supposed to know you?" Professor Chestnut asked.

"I'm Erica Sanders."

"Oh, well no," the professor replied tentatively. "But you must be the Ash Ketchum that I have heard so much about!" Professor Chestnut shook Ash's hand, causing Rusty to realise that this was the boy that she and River were supposed to be showing around the Zolya region.

"Hi Ash, my name's Rusty, that's River over there. And this is Turtwig, he's my first ever Pokémon." Rusty's voice was brimming with enthusiasm and excitement for the events that lay ahead of her. "We're going to show you around the Zolya region and you can enter the Zolya league."

"That sounds amazing," Ash replied, knowing all Rusty really needed to say was the word 'league' and he would have been excited to be in Zolya. "This is my best buddy, Pikachu, and that is Erica…"

Erica chased after Professor Chestnut in the hope that she would be getting a Pokémon for herself. There was a quiet exclamation of disappointment, the others assumed she must have been told that she already had a starter Pokémon and it would be unfair if she should get another. Despite the fact she wanted another for her contests.

When Erica came back clinging to her Torchic, Professor Chestnut slipped a Pokédex into Rusty's spare hand.

"Hold that up to the Pokémon… You can wear it like a watch," he whispered with his hand covering his mouth.

Intrigued by the new gadget she had just been given and held it up to the Pokémon that Erica was rubbing her face against.

"Torchic, has a place inside its body where it keeps its flame. Give it a hug – it will be glowing with warmth," a female voice of the Pokédex informed her.

At the mention of her Pokémon's warmth through an embrace, Erica gently hugged her Torchic and smiled at the heat she could feel.

"She loves Pokémon and wants to compete in the contests," Ash whispered to Rusty as Pikachu went to investigate Rusty's Pokémon. "So where's the first gym?"

"Northwick City – but there are a few villages and towns we have to pass through first." Rusty smiled, stroking the top of Turtwig's head and then adjusting the Pokédex by tightening it. "I think there's a gym leader in Northwick City, so that's where we should go first. Hopefully on the way, you can help me train Turtwig, deal?"

Rusty held out a hand to Ash, hoping he would take it. His black fingerless gloves shook hers and the pair smiled at each other.

"Deal. So what is it you want to do? I mean, are you doing gym battles ready for the Zolya league? Are you going to be some Pokédex completer or a coordinator? A breeder or ranger? Or, or! A Professor, an associate or a pilot?"

Rusty didn't even know what to say. "I don't know really, I just want to be happy – maybe I'll try out some competitions, but I don't have a set dream."

The boy started to laugh. "You better be careful if you chose to compete – Erica is prepared to win the Zolya Grand Festival, and you don't want to get on the wrong side of her. I've seen her with a temper only once, and that's worse than a blazing Magmortar if you upset her or get on the wrong side of her."

"Well, I'll bear that in mind." Rusty watched as Erica returned Torchic into its Pokéball. "She's seems familiar – is she well known?" She sucked her lips back and bit down as if it would help her figure it out, but it didn't.

"Erica's trying to keep a low profile, so don't ask any questions about it, she gets really touchy about her past."

"Hey Ash, are we going?" Erica asked shyly walking towards Ash and Rusty

"I'm Rusty, and me and my friend River are going to show you and Ash around the region. Perhaps we'll find some towns where you can. Ash tells me you like to compete and want to be co-ordinator."

"Oh that would be great!" She grinned broadly. "What are you waiting for? Lead the way, Rusty!"

A thunderous explosion caught the children and Professor Chestnut off guard as the wall was torn apart. Bricks were sent flying from their foundations. The four children and the professor dropped to the floor, shielding their heads from the dust and gravel that covered them. With one less wall to support the lab, the beams began to weaken and one by one, they fell from the roof.

There was a cackling laugh as the dust began to settle.

"Prepare for trouble, you thought you'd get away!"

"So make it double, we'll make you pay!"

"Team Rocket!" Ash exclaimed, never expecting that he would ever see Team Rocket again. "Pikachu!" he called out, extending his hand out to his only Pokémon at the moment. Unfortunately, from being trapped by a fallen down beam, he was unable to reach his closest yellow friend. "Pika-chu!"

"Don't worry twerp, we'll take good care of Pikachu," a pink haired woman squealed, grabbing the unconscious Pikachu by the scruff of its neck.

As she was furthest away from Team Rocket and most likely out of sight, Rusty crawled out from under a fallen over bookcase with her Turtwig close beside her.

"Turtwig – we have to do something to help them," Rusty whispered.

She could see River and Erica crushed under some of the beams and Professor Chestnut had been pinned down by a blue Pokémon and two floating Pokémon staring menacingly down at him. One of the floating Pokémon turned to face Turtwig, bearing its sharp teeth at the fire type Pokémon.

Rusty rifled through her memories and thoughts, wondering what attack Turtwig might know. The small Turtwig stood firm, steadying itself on the ground.

"Turtwig, use Tackle on that Pokémon!"

The Pokémon scuttled over the rubble and collided with the floating Pokémon, making it fly back into one of the remaining walls.

"Oh right!" Rusty grinned, unable to stop herself from pumping her fist.

"Look at that, another twerp…" sighed the indigo haired man. "Inkay – take care of that Turtwig and use Peck!"

This so-called Inkay flew towards the grass type. "Ink-kay!" It charged towards Rusty and her Pokémon.

"Turtwig – dodge it and use Constrict!" Rusty ordered, ducking back behind the bookcase and jumping in fright as she saw Inkay crashed into the wall just where she was once sat not moments before. Then her Pokemon grabbed Inkay with its vine, throwing it across the room. It was clear that Inkay had fainted from the blank expression on its face.

"Inkay!" the indigo boy smiled and rushed to his Pokémon's side where he saw Rusty close by. With a single gloved hand, he grabbed her arm and pulled her out from the cover of the bookcase.

Writhing about trying to wriggle free, Rusty pulled away, but the grip pulled her over the rubble. She called out to her Pokémon who bounced up onto its legs and chased after its trainer.

"Do something, Turtwig!" Rusty squealed.

The grass type Pokémon chomped down on her captor's arm and sank its teeth down. The Team Rocket member let go of Rusty and threw Turtwig at the wall.

"Turtwig!" she squealed, running over to her Pokémon's side.

"Turt-"

Just as the man and woman holding Pikachu were making their getaway, the children heard the sound of screeching tyres.

"Hold it right there." An authoritative voice echoed through the remains of the Pokémon lab making the villains freeze. "Growlithe, use flamethrower!"

A torrent of flame shot out of her Growlithe's mouth and sent the Team Rocket members and their Pokémon flying – Pikachu fell through the air and landed in the arms of the GoldenLeaf Town Officer Jenny.

"Are you kids alright?" she asked, helping Erica, Ash and River to their feet. Pikachu ran up Ash's arm, leaping up onto his shoulder.

"Officer Jenny! What are you doing here?" Erica exclaimed. "In Zolya I mean…"

"I'm the Officer Jenny of GoldenLeaf Town and my sister's tell me that I'm brash and aggressive with my actions, but me and Growlithe don't let that stop us!" Officer Jenny leapt onto her motorcycle with her Pokémon – a Growlithe that was much larger than Ash had seen was waiting patiently in the sidecar, waiting for her to drive off.

Rusty's Turtwig started to chase after the motorcycle and sidecar, but it stopped in the middle of the road passing in front of the Pokémon lab. It watched the motorcycle zoom around the bend whilst Professor Chestnut approached Rusty.

"I think he feels a little down that he wasn't able to protect you from those Team Rocket guys when it was doing so well."

Rusty looked up at the professor with her grey eyes. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that – from what I've observed, this- your Turtwig is much smaller than the average, like it's the runt of the litter. So to see Officer Jenny's Growlithe, a Pokémon that is much bigger and much stronger, be able to finish the job, it must be hard to say the least."

"I'll take care of him. Maybe I'll become a police officer one day – I know I'm not a Jenny, but perhaps I could be the first Officer not-Jenny." Rusty grinned, realising that she might have an idea of what she wanted to do, and that Ash, River and Erica would be there to help her carry on. "Or maybe the first Nurse not-Joy."

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = I've always wanted to have an Officer Not Jenny or Nurse Not Joy, and now I might get my chance. I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter and I hope you stick around for the next ones too! **

**I guarantee you're probably thinking – how is this remotely related to "Friends of Mew" but it is and it will be! There will be an appearance from an old friend in future chapters, promise!**


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